Podcasts about coaching runners

Danny Mackey is a former Hansons-Brooks runner, Olympic Trials qualifier and currently the Head Coach of the Brooks Beasts Track Club. The Brooks Beasts is a running team owned by one of the top clubs in the US dedicated to middle and long-distance runners. He has a Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology and Biomechanics, has […] The post Danny Mackey on Trial, Effect, and Coaching Runners appeared first on Robertson Training Systems.

Dr. Jeff Messer serves as department chair for the Exercise Science Department at Mesa Community College, Mesa, Arizona. Dr. Messer also serves as a volunteer assistant coach for boys' cross-country and track-&-field at Desert Vista High School, Phoenix, AZ.   In addition, Dr. Messer serves as a personal coach for professional runner Jessica Tonn.    Dr. Messer is the former head coach for girls' cross-country at Xavier College Preparatory (Phoenix, AZ.) and Desert Vista High School.   In this interview, we discuss post-workout nutrition, mitochondrial quality, how Dr. Messer ensures neuromuscular training is part of every training session, and what his longer practices - the 2 hours and 45-minute sessions entail.   I'm fortunate to call Dr. Messer a friend and I hope you enjoy listening to this interview as much as I enjoyed recording it. This episode of the Coaching Runners podcast is brought to you by the Fundamentals Education Course and the Boulder Running Clinics. Two great resources for coaches who are looking to take their program to the next level. If you have questions or comments about the show, please email me - Jay@CoachJayJohnson.com

Jeff has a unique background as a coach, in that he was a distance runner in high school and college. He moved to Boulder, Colorado, to train, and found himself coaching the jumps at Lyons High School, just north of Boulder. He took the challenge of becoming a great jumps coach seriously, and that meant taking a deep dive into the speed and power world. Jeff has a tremendous understanding of how distance runners can benefit from that training. We get a bit technical during the interview, which I love because a successful coach, one who already knows how to develop athletes and has a culture where kids work hard and love the sport, can better understand how lifting and multi-throw may fit into their training plans. Example: Jeff coached Paul Roberts, who finished fifth at Footlocker and made the world cross country team as a junior in high school (and I should note that Lyons HS has less than 300 students). Jeff shares that before they did focused work in the weight room, Paul would run his last 400m of a 1,600m race in 61-62, and run his last 400m of a 3,200m in 64-65. Fast forward to Paul’s senior year and he was closing in 58, and even 57-point, in the 1,600m, and was able to close in 61 in the 3.200m. Finally, Jeff has had the chance to not only go through the Altis coaching education offerings, but he has a close relationship with Dan Pfaff, one of the best track and field coaches in the world (many say THE best). I really enjoyed hearing how those experiences have shaped him as a coach. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This episode of the Coaching Runners podcast is brought to you by the Fundamentals Education Course and the Boulder Running Clinics. Two great resources for coaches who are looking to take their program to the next level. If you have questions or comments about the show, please email me - Jay@CoachJayJohnson.com

John is the only person to have coached two Footlocker Champions (Lukas Verzbicus and Dylan Jacobs). He’s also had tremendous success coaching 800m runners: 26 boys have run under 1:58 and 9 under 1:54 under his guidance. This interview with John O’Malley was recorded in November of 2018, soon after a disappointing cross country season for his team. John talked about elements in the program he’ll be working on in 2019. John’s candor during this first part of the interview is really special. We then talk about winter training, specifically what he does to improve speed, to improve, as he likes to say, “wiring.” If you’re in San Diego or Houston in the winter, the track is clear and you can do this work, but if you’re in a suburb of Chicago, the track can be covered with snow and ice. The end of the interview was a lot of fun: “If you could shadow one athlete between now and Tokyo, who would it be?” and “What is your favorite non-distance event in the Olympics.” Loved his answers. Thanks John for your time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This episode of the Coaching Runners podcast is brought to you by the Fundamentals Education Course and the Boulder Running Clinics. Two great resources for coaches who are looking to take their program to the next level. If you have questions or comments about the show, please email me - Jay@CoachJayJohnson.com

What a pleasure it was to interview my friend Chris Lear for the first episode of the Coaching Runners podcast. Chris is known primarily as the author of Running with the Buffaloes and Sub-4. Most people don't know that Chris broke 4:10 for the full mile as a high school athlete, and was an All-American, running the 1,200m leg of the DMR for Princeton, when they finished fourth in the NCAA. Chris talks about his training in high school and highlights elements that high school coaches will find useful. I ask Chris what the one thing a high school coach can do tomorrow that Mark Wetmore and Ron Warhurst do with their athletes. Chris also talks about the role talent plays in distance running. Thanks Chris for kicking off the podcast with a great interview! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This episode of the Coaching Runners podcast is brought to you by my Fundamentals Education Course and the Boulder Running Camps. If you have questions or comments, please email me at Jay@CoachJayJohnson.com